Lauric acid polyoxyethylene ether LAE-4 (PEG-4 Laurate) is an excellent performance nonionic surfactant, appearing as a colorless to light yellow transparent liquid. With its outstanding emulsifying ability, solubilizing performance, wetting and spreading properties, as well as chemical stability against acids, alkalis, and hard water, it is widely used in many industrial fields. It has good compatibility with anionic, cationic, and other nonionic surfactants, offering high formulation flexibility.
In the personal care industry, LAE-4 is mainly used as an emulsifier, solubilizer, and emollient in creams, lotions, shampoos, and body washes, helping to form stable and fine oil/water emulsions, enhancing the skin feel and texture of the products. In the textile industry, it is used as an antistatic agent and softener to improve fiber processing performance and impart excellent touch and smoothness to fabrics.
In the industrial field, LAE-4 plays a dual role of emulsification and lubrication in metalworking fluids (such as cutting fluids and grinding fluids), improving metal processing accuracy; it enhances the ability to emulsify and remove oil stains in industrial hard surface cleaners; in pesticide formulations (emulsifiable concentrates and aqueous emulsions), it acts as an emulsifier to help uniform dispersion and penetration of active ingredients; in addition, it can be used as a leather fatliquoring agent to make leather soft and plump, and as a wetting dispersant in coatings and inks to promote uniform distribution of pigments and fillers.
| Industry Field | Application Process/Product | Functional Role |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care | Creams, lotions, shampoos, body washes | Emulsifier, solubilizer, emollient |
| Textile Industry | Fiber processing, fabric finishing | Antistatic agent, softener |
| Metalworking Fluids | Cutting fluids, grinding fluids, etc. | Emulsifier, lubricant |
| Pesticide Formulations | Emulsifiable concentrates, aqueous emulsions | Emulsifier, enhances spreading and penetration |
| Industrial Cleaning | Hard surface cleaners | Emulsification for dirt removal, degreasing |
| Leather Industry | Leather fatliquoring process | Fatliquoring agent, imparts softness and fullness |
| Coatings and Inks | Pigment dispersion, system stability | Wetting dispersant, improves leveling |
LAE-4 is a low-toxicity chemical with no significant health hazards, non-flammable and non-explosive, and has high safety in use. In actual formulations, it is recommended to reasonably combine with other surfactants based on the HLB requirements of the target system to achieve optimal synergistic effects. Due to its resistance to acids, alkalis, and hard water, it is suitable for various water quality conditions and production environments, with a wide range of adaptability.